Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Did Monet really paint this scene while sitting in a gondola on the water?

It is true!

This captures Venice perfectly. Have you been there?

No I haven't been to Venice, though Monet definitely captures it beautifully. He painted many of his works in a series, capturing the same place at different points of the day to get to the essence of light and color at any given place.

If you visit our special Francisco Oller exhibit on the 4th floor, you'll see some other beautiful Monet paintings, as well as other Impressionists.

Thank you!

I love this serene, beautiful outdoor scene by Theodore Robinson! What drew you to this work?

The way it's painted and how gentle it is in the colors and the woman's expression. Also the fact that I don't know anything about the painter.

Theodore Robinson is considered one of the first American Impressionists, a movement that began in, and is largely associated with, France. William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam, two artists whom we have on view on the 5th floor, are also considered American Impressionists.

The Impressionists were concerned with capturing fleeting moments resulting in often quickly painted works with visible, varying brushstrokes. There is another work by Robinson on that same wall as well as 2 works by Monet, a noted French Impressionist! Robinson even went to France to study with the French Impressionists and became close friends with Monet.

Loved the Monet paintings! Absolutely beautiful.

I agree, seeing Monet is always a treat! I especially love the reflection on the water in "The Doge's Palace," the colors are so vibrant.

Yes! One of my favorites! Was it always here? I feel like I've seen it somewhere else? Do you have any info on it?

Monet is famous for creating many versions of the "same" painting. Because the Impressionists were interested in light and capturing the effects, he would often sit at the same site for a long period of time, painting different canvases of the same thing at different times of the day to see the changing light effects. There is a painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan that looks similar to this, yes! I do believe our version has also been on view for some time, so it's possible you've seen it here before as well.

I probably saw the one at The Met. I am from Brazil so this is my first time here.

Oh, well, welcome to Brooklyn! Yes, you may have seen the Met's version. Although, I think it is easy to confuse various paintings by Monet because the subject matter, colors, and style can be so similar.

That's true, thanks!

Of course!

The water reflecting the palace is amazing!

The Doge's Palace, or Palazzo Ducale, is a Gothic-style building where Venice's doges (magistrates) lived. Monet indicated the pointed arches and arcades of the Palace in this view, but you're totally correct, his main interest as a painter is the light, and its constantly shifting reflections in the water!

Take a look at his loose use of short brushstrokes, not a polished surface, but a painterly style that lets us think about the movement of light and air, and the way we perceive things around us.

I love this!

That's one of my favorite paintings on view! Monet and his wife, Alice, traveled to Venice together. Although they were on holiday, he kept a strict painting schedule.

Every morning at 8 am he took a boat out to a spot in the canal halfway between the Doge's Palace and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. I imagine it was difficult to position the boat in the same spot each day!

What do you like best about this painting?

I really appreciate the Venetian Gothic style of the palace. His rendering is beautiful.

I agree—he captured the way the palace seems to float on the water. There is a building here in Brooklyn that was built to resemble a Venetian Gothic palace! It is called the Montauk Club.

Thank you so much for your knowledge!

Tell me more about this work by Monet, please.

This work by Monet captures Doge's Palace. Monet is famous for creating many versions of the "same" painting. He would go back at different times of day and sit at the site (in this case in a gondola) for a long period of time to capture the palace in different lights.

Why did Monet visit Venice?

Monet, like many of his contemporaries, visited Venice because it was a popular art historical and picturesque spot. However, this legacy daunted him, and he delayed going until late in his career, in 1908, when he was 68.

The fantastic architecture and views were a big draw, despite how intimidating he found them.

Great thanks!

Would this be considered one of Monet’s better works?

That's an interesting question! It is certainly one of the best-known works from his sojourn in Venice.

The interesting thing about Monet's paintings is that they are often conceived of in groups; he would paint the same view many times, at different times of day and lighting conditions. So it can be difficult to say that one painting from the group is the best.

What do you think of the painting?

It’s really well blended and highlights the landscape well, curious to know how long it took for him to become mature as an artist.

I agree! I think he really captured the way the light shimmers on the surface of the water.

Monet was 33 when he painted "Impression: Sunrise" a painting which was many people rejected for being too loose, but which is now recognized as being a very important early Impressionistic painting (and the one that gave the movement its name).

Many of his best known paintings (his Waterlilies and views of the Rouen Cathedral) were painted when he was in his 50s. By the time Monet went to Venice, he was 68 and an established painter.

There is another Monet on view in the Infinite Blue exhibit on the first floor. It is of the Houses of Parliament in London and was painted 5 years before his Venice trip.

Very interesting facts, thank you for the info. Will be sure to check out Houses of Parliament

The Doge's Palace (Le Palais ducal)

Claude Monet

European Art

Daunted by Venice’s innumerable picturesque views and its art-historical legacy, Claude Monet delayed visiting the city until 1908. Once there, he explored his familiar artistic concerns—reflection, atmosphere, and structure—now seen afresh in the particular waterways, light, and architecture of Venice. In this rendering of the Doge’s Palace, captured from his seat in a gondola across the Grand Canal, Monet dissolves the solid structure and its reflection into a shimmer of colors.

This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement.
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply).
The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act.
The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals.
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Did Monet really paint this scene while sitting in a gondola on the water?

It is true!

This captures Venice perfectly. Have you been there?

No I haven't been to Venice, though Monet definitely captures it beautifully. He painted many of his works in a series, capturing the same place at different points of the day to get to the essence of light and color at any given place.

If you visit our special Francisco Oller exhibit on the 4th floor, you'll see some other beautiful Monet paintings, as well as other Impressionists.

Thank you!

I love this serene, beautiful outdoor scene by Theodore Robinson! What drew you to this work?

The way it's painted and how gentle it is in the colors and the woman's expression. Also the fact that I don't know anything about the painter.

Theodore Robinson is considered one of the first American Impressionists, a movement that began in, and is largely associated with, France. William Merritt Chase and Childe Hassam, two artists whom we have on view on the 5th floor, are also considered American Impressionists.

The Impressionists were concerned with capturing fleeting moments resulting in often quickly painted works with visible, varying brushstrokes. There is another work by Robinson on that same wall as well as 2 works by Monet, a noted French Impressionist! Robinson even went to France to study with the French Impressionists and became close friends with Monet.

Loved the Monet paintings! Absolutely beautiful.

I agree, seeing Monet is always a treat! I especially love the reflection on the water in "The Doge's Palace," the colors are so vibrant.

Yes! One of my favorites! Was it always here? I feel like I've seen it somewhere else? Do you have any info on it?

Monet is famous for creating many versions of the "same" painting. Because the Impressionists were interested in light and capturing the effects, he would often sit at the same site for a long period of time, painting different canvases of the same thing at different times of the day to see the changing light effects. There is a painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan that looks similar to this, yes! I do believe our version has also been on view for some time, so it's possible you've seen it here before as well.

I probably saw the one at The Met. I am from Brazil so this is my first time here.

Oh, well, welcome to Brooklyn! Yes, you may have seen the Met's version. Although, I think it is easy to confuse various paintings by Monet because the subject matter, colors, and style can be so similar.

That's true, thanks!

Of course!

The water reflecting the palace is amazing!

The Doge's Palace, or Palazzo Ducale, is a Gothic-style building where Venice's doges (magistrates) lived. Monet indicated the pointed arches and arcades of the Palace in this view, but you're totally correct, his main interest as a painter is the light, and its constantly shifting reflections in the water!

Take a look at his loose use of short brushstrokes, not a polished surface, but a painterly style that lets us think about the movement of light and air, and the way we perceive things around us.

I love this!

That's one of my favorite paintings on view! Monet and his wife, Alice, traveled to Venice together. Although they were on holiday, he kept a strict painting schedule.

Every morning at 8 am he took a boat out to a spot in the canal halfway between the Doge's Palace and the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. I imagine it was difficult to position the boat in the same spot each day!

What do you like best about this painting?

I really appreciate the Venetian Gothic style of the palace. His rendering is beautiful.

I agree—he captured the way the palace seems to float on the water. There is a building here in Brooklyn that was built to resemble a Venetian Gothic palace! It is called the Montauk Club.

Thank you so much for your knowledge!

Tell me more about this work by Monet, please.

This work by Monet captures Doge's Palace. Monet is famous for creating many versions of the "same" painting. He would go back at different times of day and sit at the site (in this case in a gondola) for a long period of time to capture the palace in different lights.

Why did Monet visit Venice?

Monet, like many of his contemporaries, visited Venice because it was a popular art historical and picturesque spot. However, this legacy daunted him, and he delayed going until late in his career, in 1908, when he was 68.

The fantastic architecture and views were a big draw, despite how intimidating he found them.

Great thanks!

Would this be considered one of Monet’s better works?

That's an interesting question! It is certainly one of the best-known works from his sojourn in Venice.

The interesting thing about Monet's paintings is that they are often conceived of in groups; he would paint the same view many times, at different times of day and lighting conditions. So it can be difficult to say that one painting from the group is the best.

What do you think of the painting?

It’s really well blended and highlights the landscape well, curious to know how long it took for him to become mature as an artist.

I agree! I think he really captured the way the light shimmers on the surface of the water.

Monet was 33 when he painted "Impression: Sunrise" a painting which was many people rejected for being too loose, but which is now recognized as being a very important early Impressionistic painting (and the one that gave the movement its name).

Many of his best known paintings (his Waterlilies and views of the Rouen Cathedral) were painted when he was in his 50s. By the time Monet went to Venice, he was 68 and an established painter.

There is another Monet on view in the Infinite Blue exhibit on the first floor. It is of the Houses of Parliament in London and was painted 5 years before his Venice trip.

Very interesting facts, thank you for the info. Will be sure to check out Houses of Parliament